in the embers
by prettyinsanity
Summary: "They fueled Tyson's game, played right into his trap, and now he was going to kill her and her baby." An AU twist on 7x14, as well as speculation for 7x15.
1. Chapter 1

_7x14 was everything I could've asked for and more, and the promo for next week's episode literally made my heart hurt (my angst loving self cannot wAIT), so I'm going to focus on this story for the week and hope it'll make time go faster!_

_The idea started with the baby conversation Castle and Beckett had at the beginning of the episode, and I blame my friend Heather for giving me more idea's and fueling it. _

_Anyway, hope you enjoy!_

**Warning: there are spoilers for (obviously) 7x14 but also 7x15.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. **

* * *

"Next time I will be." It was a slip, and Kate was glad Castle didn't see through it, or notice the way she ducked her head, bit her lip and turned away from him for a moment. She threw him off instead, acting nonchalant and as if babies hadn't been a constant on her mind ever since she took the test the day before. He always knew when she was lying or hiding something, and this was the biggest secret she'd ever kept from him.

_Not that she was keeping this from him_, she told herself. She was simply waiting for the right moment to tell him. With an inward sigh of relief, Castle bought it, shaking his head in agreement.

"There never is."

At his words, her stomach dropped and she couldn't keep the panic from forming in her eyes and twisting her mouth into a frown. He didn't want a kid, not right now. Quickly, as if he read her thoughts, he continued. "But then again, there's never a wrong time either," and she sucked in a breath of relief. Of course he wanted a child. He was a fantastic father the first time around, and Alexis meant the world to him. Another baby now or in the future didn't make a difference to him.

She took a drink of her tea, which she had secretly swapped with the coffee he had originally given her, and paused, watching him as he stood there. His eyes were unfocused and trained on the wall behind her shoulder as he absentmindedly sipped from his coffee and she couldn't help but imagine a scenario exactly like this one now, but with a dark, curly haired child running around by their feet, giggling and crying out words like "Mommy, look at me," or "Daddy, look what I can do." She imagined Castle placing his coffee on the table and moving to pick up their child, planting a kiss against their cheek as he-

Her phone buzzed to life, pulling her from her daydream, and she sighed regretfully.

Tonight. She'll tell him tonight.

* * *

The moment the elevator doors opened and her eyes landed on Kelly Nieman, her hand instinctively came to rest on her stomach, only for a fleeting second, before she dropped it and marched forward.  
"We meet again, like the song says."

The woman frustratingly didn't take her bait and acted confused, playing the innocent card too well. Kate asked to see a list of her patients, hoping she could get a reaction out of the doctor, a sign of panic, or a flash of anger but she simply ignored Kate's taunts with a smile and a tilt of her head. She knew Kate had nothing solid, and seemed confident she wouldn't find anything, but Kate affirmed she'd be back with a court order anyway.

"Oh, Detective?" Kelly called out to her as Kate turned to walk away. She froze, head swiveling to stare at the woman. Kelly's eyes were on her stomach, a chilling smile gracing her perfect features.

"Congratulations."

Her world spun on its axis.

* * *

Jerry Tyson was alive, and standing right in front of her. She couldn't keep the horror off her face as he turned towards them, and she found herself immediately wanting to run out the door, run somewhere far away where she, Castle and their baby could be safe.

She never ran. Fight or flight was not ever a consideration; she always chose to stay and face the danger head on, but this need to protect her child at all costs practically had her going against everything she believed in.

She nearly asked Ryan and Esposito to question Tyson, but as she watched Castle stare through the glass at the man who had almost ruined his life, she knew he needed this. Needed answers. Needed justice. She couldn't let him do it alone.

Tyson couldn't hurt her. Not anymore. He was handcuffed, in custody, and with enough evidence to lock him up for good.

It was almost over.

* * *

Kate ruefully watched as Amy walked away, her business card crumpled in her hand. Amy's refusal to believe the truth about Tyson and accept her help had an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach. It was irrational, Kate knew that, but she couldn't help thinking that if she couldn't protect Amy, how could she ever protect her own child? So when Amy called later that night, her voice laced with fear, she jumped at the chance to get to her, to keep her safe.

"Don't move, I'll be there okay?"

She hung up, and turned to Castle who was watching her with questioning eyes.

"She's the only person who might be able to connect Susan Watt's murder to Tyson. I have to go get her."

Castle nodded, moving to grab his coat hanging over a chair behind him. "I'll come with you."

"No," Kate shook her head as she pressed her hands against his chest, trailing them up his shirt to cup the back of his neck. "I need to do this alone, we can't risk scaring her off."

Castle frowned, arms reaching to wrap around her waist and she could tell he didn't agree with her. After a moment of studying her face he nodded anyway, sensing this was important, even if he didn't exactly understand why. A wave of affection for her husband welled up inside her and she tilted her head to press her lips against his, whispering her love for him against his mouth. He tightened his hold on her and leant back slightly to rest his forehead against her own. They stayed like that, both content in each other's arms as the stress of the day all but dissipated, until Kate's eyes flew open, images of Amy getting strangled by Tyson taunting her and she untangled herself from her husband's arms, sighing apologetically as she did so. She couldn't help but smile as his lips pursed into a pout and she reached for his hand, gripping his fingers reassuringly.

"I'll be right back," she murmured as she stepped backwards.

"You better."

She held onto him as long as she could but as she reached the door, she found her arm was extended as far as it could go. With one last squeeze of his fingers she dropped his hand and turned around, striding confidently towards the elevator.

* * *

The last thing she remembered before slipping unconscious was a sharp sting of something stabbing into her arm and she opened her mouth to shout, to cry for help but her body was unresponsive, and she unwillingly found herself crumbling to the ground.

Kate came to as freezing water was thrown in her face, and she jolted in surprise, choking as the water found its way into her lungs. As she coughed it out, she felt it run down her body, over her bare skin, and noticed someone had stripped her of her jacket, shoes and t-shirt, leaving her in a singlet and jeans. She was freezing, and knew the water had done little to make her feel that way. The bitter chill of the air around her was well below freezing and she could feel her body beginning to scream in protest. She attempted to lift her hands to brush the hair that had fallen over her face but found them strapped down instead. The table she was lying on was metallic, icy against her skin, and was supporting her at an almost diagonal angle.

_What the hell?_

A chuckle sounded from her left and Kate jerked her head in its direction, wincing as the movement caused the pounding in her head to intensify. The sound belonged to the man standing beside her, who hands were toying with one of her guns as he leered at her, and she couldn't contain the gasp that escaped through her clenched lips.

"Hello, Detective Beckett."

Without a single doubt in her mind, she knew this man was Jerry Tyson.

The real Jerry Tyson.

It all made sense now. The man they had custody, the one who claimed to be Michael Boudreau, was simply a distraction. They wouldn't be looking for the real Jerry Tyson if they thought they had him. Her visions for that night, her images of Castle's face when she told him they were going to have a baby vanished before her eyes. She was never going to get the chance to tell him, never going to raise a family with him. The crippling loss she felt for her unborn child and her future stole her breath away and she closed her eyes, head bowing remorsefully.

They fueled Tyson's game, played right into his trap, and now he was going to kill her and her baby.


	2. Chapter 2

**_a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed or favorited or followed this story so far! Sorry this took a bit longer than I expected, but here is chapter 2! The last chapter will be up either tomorrow (saturday) or Sunday. _**

**_Oh and happy valentines day! _**

**_Enjoy! _**

**_Warning: Spoilers for 7x14 and 7x15. _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise. _**

* * *

It's been three days, and they still have yet to find a single clue about where she was, let alone if she was still alive. Castle believed with all of his heart that she was though, because he would _know_, he would _feel_, if Kate Beckett wasn't breathing out there somewhere. The moment her heart stopped beating in the ambulance that fateful day when she was shot, it felt like his entire world fell apart, and if it were to happen again, he would never be the same. The world would be darker, his sense of purpose would be gone, and he'd be perpetually lost.

Others weren't as confident.

"You may want to prepare yourself for the worst," Gates had said earlier that day, her eyes sympathetic as she touched his shoulder gently. He hadn't taken it well, shaking her off forcefully and storming out of her office. The boys tried to follow, calling out his name as he ran from the precinct, but the elevator doors closed before they could get to him.

He slammed his fist against an elevator wall, a wail escaping between his clenched lips. This was his fault. The dues he had with Tyson was between them, it shouldn't include Beckett. She didn't deserve this. This was _his_ war; she'd already suffered through her own. She was finally happy, free, but now was in the hands of another mad man, all because he couldn't stop him all those years ago.

No one knew where she was so he'll have to find her himself and _bring her home_, even if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Kate's head dropped back against the table with a huff of defeat. Her wrists ached from the constant strain she'd been putting on them since Kelly and Tyson disappeared at some point in the night, desperate to break free from her restraints before they came back. She'd almost had one undone before the warehouse door swung open and Tyson appeared, in his arms the body of a blonde girl. Amy.

_No!_

Kate gritted her teeth, kicking her leg forcefully back against the metal, creating a loud bang that resonated throughout the open space.

"Let her go, Tyson," She growled as he threw Amy in a chair beside her, his back blocking her from seeing if the girl was conscious, or alive. "You don't need to kill her!"

Tyson laughed maniacally, seeming pleased with himself as his eyes swept between the both of them. "Oh but I do," he grinned, motioning to Nieman as she walked in. "Just not for reasons you think."

As he stepped aside, Kate got a look at the girl, and her breath got caught in her throat.

She looked exactly like her.

* * *

Castle remembered the address from when Beckett first gathered details on Michael Boudreau, and, with renewed purpose, he ran from the elevator, all but jumping in the road to hail a cab before it drove past. It slammed on its breaks with a squeal of tires and a honk of its horn and Castle jumped in the backseat, flashing a hundred dollar bill at the driver before he could refuse him. The driver rolled his eyes as he asked for the address and took off again, muttering "lunatic" under his breath as he did so.

They got there in record time, and Castle threw in an extra fifty dollars, shouting his thanks as he jumped from the cab and approached the building cautiously. His hand reached around behind him to feel for the gun he had tucked in the back of his jeans, and took a deep breath, pushing the buzzer for every apartment in the complex apart from Tyson's, as he wanted the element of surprise, and waited until he heard a click.

Tyson's apartment was on the first floor, at the very end of the long hallway, and by the time he reached it, his hands were shaking and his breath was labored. After another reassuring pat of his gun to check it was still there, he knocked on the door. He could hear shuffling around inside, and a few seconds later the door cracked open an inch, Tyson peering out guardedly, and Castle snapped. He shoved the door vehemently with his knee, knocking it against Tyson's face and as the man fell against the floor, Castle walked in. A rush of satisfaction flowed through him when he saw Tyson bleeding from his eyebrow, the blood running down into his left eye, half blinding him.

"Where is she?" He growled, towering over him as Tyson scrambled backwards. "Is she alive?"

He ignored Tyson's shouts for help as he picked him up by his shoulders, nails purposefully digging into his skin as he threw him against a wall. Tyson struggled but Castle overpowered him easily, his arm coming up to dig into Tyson's neck. "Where is she!?" Castle roared in his face, pulling him back before pushing him harder into the wall.

"I told you! I don't know!" Tyson shouted desperately, his breath coming out in gasps as he struggled to breathe.

"Why are you doing this?" Castle gritted out, blinking back tears rapidly. "For revenge? Because she makes me happy?"

Tyson's hands moved from his grasp on Castle's arms to hold them up in front of them as if to surrender. "I told you, you've got the wrong guy."

With a snarl, Castle threw Tyson back on the ground, and pulled out his gun from his jeans and pointed it directly at the man.

"Tell me where she is, and I'll let you go."

Tyson looked terrified, his hands that were still raised in front of him were shaking and for a moment, Castle was confused. This weak, blundering man in front of him wasn't the Jerry Tyson he knew. The Jerry Tyson who was smart enough to have gotten away with murder for his entire life, to remove all evidence the police have on him, to fake his own death. Castle gripped the gun and took a step closer. Time to try a different angle.

"Okay, so you're not Tyson. You're still working with Nieman, and I bet you know where she's keeping my wife." He flicked the safety off the gun, Tyson's eyes widening at the sound. "This is your last chance. Where is she?"

* * *

Kate swallowed heavily, giving her arm three sharp tugs as Nieman and Tyson turned their back on her, biting back a cry as the rope rubbed against the welts covering her wrist, and broke a blister. She had to get out of there, she had to get out of there _now_.

Tyson turned around then, and she halted her movements, shrinking away from him as he stepped closer.

"They look identical," he smirked, his hand reaching up to brush against her cheek and Kate shook her head side to side, keeping him from touching her skin. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her neck, hard enough so she couldn't breathe, and with his other hand he slapped her. Dark spots danced around the edges of her vision and she slumped back, her head lolling to the side.

"Jerry!" Nieman's voice was furious. "What did we say about touching her face?"

Kate watched as Nieman moved from her crouching position beside Amy, and over to Tyson where she grabbed his wrist and yanked him away. Tyson shrugged, pressing his body up against the doctor, and kissed her. Kate looked away in disgust.

"I like it when you're rough with me baby," Tyson chuckled, and Nieman rolled her eyes.

"Don't touch her face. We had a deal."

Tyson moved from her side, waving his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I get my revenge and you get your perfect science experiment."

Nieman grinned, her teeth gleaming in the low light, and Kate couldn't help a shiver run through her body.

_What were they planning?_

* * *

The second he opened the door to his apartment, Alexis jumped from the couch, rushing to his side. She'd been staying with him since Kate went missing, claiming it was to help but he knew she just wanted to keep an eye on him.

"Any news?" Her eyes were wide, hopeful, and it made everything that much worse. He side stepped around her, shaking his head as he did so, and headed for his room. Castle threw himself down on the bed, burying his head in his pillow as he muffled his screams of frustration. Tyson, or Michael, or whoever he was didn't tell him anything he needed to know, and in his rage, he knocked him out with the butt of the gun. He didn't stay to check what damage he had done, and he was too afraid to look. Consequences be damned, he wanted his wife back home now. Okay, so Michael wasn't Tyson, so why did he look like him? Why did he choose Jerry Tyson, infamous serial killer, as his inspiration when he got work done? Why did he even get work done in the first place? The man worked construction, and his apartment was a tiny rundown place in Clinton Hill, so how did he even afford it? He rolled over, throwing his hands up to his face to push the hair away from his forehead, exhaling loudly. He was missing some part of the story. His eyes fell shut, his brain desperately trying to make sense of everything.

Almost subconsciously, his hand reached out to Kate's side of the bed, and he thought for a second that if he wished it enough, maybe she would be there beside him, sleeping soundly. Safe. He sat up then, eyes opening to look down at the empty spot in the bed and he sighed. He shifted his body so he was sitting on the edge of Kate's side, his feet planting themselves on the floor, and reached for the top drawer of her nightstand, hoping to find the Polaroid picture Alexis had taken of them at their wedding, but he froze when he saw an item placed on the very top, wrapped in tissue.

_No._

_This couldn't be happening._

He reached for the stick, unwrapping it before picking it up, touching it like it could break apart between his fingers, and he stared at the symbol adorning the side. A little pink plus sign. He froze, his heart plummeting, air rushing out of his lungs and he didn't realise he'd dropped the stick until he heard it clatter to the ground at his feet. His hands moved to grip the edge of the nightstand, and a loud sob ripped from his throat.

Kate was pregnant.

* * *

For over an hour, Kate watched as they cut and colored Amy's hair, the girl still deeply unconscious. What was once long blonde hair was now short and a light brown shade, exactly like hers.

"Why are you doing this?" Kate whispered in horror once they were done, and looking at Amy, she felt like she was looking in the mirror.

"Because, my dear," Nieman said as she removed the plastic gloves from around her hands, dropping them into a bag on the small table beside her. "You are very important to Mr. Castle, and Jerry here wants nothing more than to see him suffer."

"But why include Amy? What does she have to do with it?"

Tyson and Nieman shared a smile. "I'm going to kill her," Tyson replied with a shrug, pulling a string of wire from his pocket. "And when Castle finds her, strangled to death, he'll think it's you, and that you're dead."

Kate couldn't hold back her cry of protest as she shook her body as hard as she could against her restraints, only stopping when she thought of the little baby growing inside her stomach. "No, please. Don't."

A loud shrill sounded out, and Nieman pulled a phone from her coat pocket. She answered, listened to whatever the voice on the other end had to say and hung up.

"They're close to figuring out where we are. We need to do this quickly."

Tyson grinned, clasping his hands together in glee.

"Showtime," he hollered dramatically, untangling the wire in his hands as he approached Amy.

* * *

Castle stumbled back into the precinct an hour later, his chest aching and his throat dry, as he made his way over to the boy's desks, collapsing down on a chair Ryan hastily offered to him. Esposito scooted across from his desk to Castle's side, slapping a hand against his back in welcome.

"Castle, so glad you're here man. We were just about to call. We thought we should look more into this Michael guy, because he was picked to look like Tyson for a reason right? So we-" He trailed off when he realized Castle didn't seem to be taking in anything he was saying, and he shot Ryan a look.

Ryan sat down on the edge of his desk, his hand reaching out to shake his shoulder.

"Castle?"

Castle leaned back against the chair but his eyes remained on the floor.

"Beckett," he rasped out, stopping to grind his teeth together as he swallowed back bile, "she's… uh-" He shook his head, eyes falling shut as his fingers came up to dig into his sockets, rubbing them roughly. "She's pregnant."

Besides a low exhale and a quiet "shit" from Esposito, the boys were silent for a moment.

"Did you- did you know? Before she-" Ryan's eyes shifted to the murder board, Beckett's picture with the words "missing" written beneath taunting them all.

Castle shook his head. "No, I just found out. I don't know when she took the test but... I found it in her bedside drawer."

"Oh Castle," Esposito muttered, a comforting hand coming to rest on his shoulder. "We're going to find her."

Castle nodded slowly, his hands falling to his lap and he turned to the murder board.

"What were you saying, about Michael?" he asked, eyes running over the information they added since he left earlier. "What have you found?"

Without a beat, Esposito began to fill him in.

"Ryan and I went to talk to some of the guys Michael works with on his current construction and they all didn't recognize the picture of him, until we showed them Tyson. Turns out, he only just started the job."

Castle nodded, wheels turning in his head.

"Where was he before?"

Ryan jumped in, handing him a folder with a triumphant smile.

"That's what we wondered. We pulled up his records, and he used to work with another construction company in New Jersey, before there was an accident."

"What happened?" Castle sat forward in his chair, flicking through the file in his hands. There were photos of Michael, his nose disfigured, a large cut running down the entire right hand side of his face, causing his eye to droop.

"A large piece of iron roof sheathing came down and messed up his face," Esposito answered.

Castle's eyes widened. "Let me guess, Nieman was his plastic surgeon?"

"Bingo," Ryan replied, his grin matching Esposito's.

"Do you know where the accident happened?"

Esposito shook his head, swivelling his chair around to face his computer. "Not yet, but get this. They stopped working on the place after it happened, said it was too dangerous. Report's say nothing's been done to the place since."

Castle exhaled, placing the folder on Ryan's desk carefully. "That's where they're keeping her."

"We can't say for sure-"

"It is, it has to be," Castle interrupted, his voice strong and assured.

"Castle," Ryan murmured, "we don't-"

"I got it!" Esposito shouted, spinning around. "We've got an address. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

Here we go, last chapter. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

**Warning: spoilers for 7x14 and 7x15.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. **

* * *

Before Ryan and Esposito could even put the car in park, Castle had the car door open, ignoring their shouts for him to wait for backup as he leaped onto the gravel road and ran to the buildings rustic front door. He groaned as he pushed it open, stumbling inside to find himself in a dark room, his eyes taking time to adjust. The moment his nose began to sting from the smell of rubbing alcohol – reminding him all too well of a hospital – his heart doubled in pace. He was at the right place.

He blinked rapidly a few times, the last black spots disappearing from his vision, and he found himself in a small windowless room, the only light coming from two doors - the one he came through and the one in front of him, which was slightly ajar. Without a second thought he jogged towards it, stepping as quietly as he possibly could, and he bit his lip to keep from calling out Beckett's name. He paused by the door, moving to press his back against the wall beside it as he took deep breaths. Inhale, _please be alive._ Exhale, _please be okay._ Inhale, _please don't take her away_. Exhale.

He balled his hands into fists, and just as Ryan and Esposito appeared, leading a heavily armed SWAT team, he pushed the door open and ran through.

Everything around him seemed to fade away, the shouts of "NYPD" just a distant echo, as his eyes fell on a familiar broken figure sitting in a chair across the room. She was slumped forward, her hands tied behind her back, and the closer he got he could see her hair was mattered with blood.

_Kate. _

"No, no, please. _No_!" He stumbled the last few steps towards her, falling to his knees when a gurgled cry ripped from his throat. "Open your eyes, Beckett. I'm here, you're safe."

His wife didn't respond, even when he shook her gently and reached up to cup her bloody, cut up face in his trembling hands, his thumbs ghosting over her cheeks.

"Kate? Come on, wake up," he begged, his voice barely a whisper. He leaned closer, his ear hovering over her mouth, his hands sliding down to press fingers against her neck, and he froze. He didn't know why it took so long for him to notice the red welts from a wire wrapped around her neck. His stomach churned and he gagged, falling on his hands as he retched up nothing but bile. He felt a hand place over his shoulder and he looked up to find Esposito standing over him, Ryan a few feet back looking as wretched as he felt.

"She-she's not breathing," Castle stammered, his breath escaping him in shallow gasps. "Oh god, she's not-she's-"

"Hey," Esposito spoke soothingly, "we've got a bus here, and they'll take care of her."

Castle shook his head, tears trailing down his cheeks as he watched two women and a man in uniform approach them, carrying medical supplies and a stretcher.

"We're too late," he moaned, shifting back to his knees to bury his head in her lap. "I was too late. I'm so sorry."

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, above their heads, hidden in the ceiling, a camera was blinking red.

* * *

Watching from three stories above in a hidden room, through a laptop screen, Kate stood with Tyson beside her, a gun pressed into her back. Tears streamed from her eyes, the water falling and catching itself in the dark fabric tied around her mouth as she watched her husband cry over what he thought was her dead body. A muffled moan tore from her throat and she pulled on her restraints, desperate to free herself and get to him, show him she was still alive. Tyson simply dug the gun further into her back.

"You make one sound, or try to escape, and I'll put a bullet straight through your stomach."

Kate squeezed her eyes shut, bowing her head as she thought of her child, and she was glad Castle never got to know. For him, losing her was enough; she knew he wouldn't survive knowing he had lost both her and their baby.

Nieman appeared then, in her hands a bag and in the other a syringe.

"Okay, we need to go. They'll start searching the building soon."

"Just one more minute," Tyson objected, his eyes trained on the TV. Esposito and Ryan were now pulling Castle back as paramedics moved in to check on Amy, and Kate turned her head away, unable to watch another second of it.

Nieman grabbed the laptop screen, pushing it shut and she tucked it under her arm.

"You can watch the rest later," she growled, and Tyson stepped away from Kate to point the gun at Nieman.

"Give it back," he demanded, flicking the safety off the gun, and Nieman laughed loudly, pressing her body into its muzzle.

"Go on," she taunted, her eyebrows rising high over her challenging eyes.

"What's to stop me?" Tyson challenged right back. "Sure, I've got some of my revenge, but he'll figure out that she's not the one dead when they do the autopsy."

As Tyson and Nieman fought, Kate struggled with the rope around her wrists, trying to inconspicuously slip out of them, but the more she strained, the more it seemed to tighten. She thought back to the time she had broken her thumb breaking out of the cuffs Brackens men put on her, and she knew she didn't have another choice.

"Why shouldn't I deliver him her real body?" Tyson pushed the gun further into Nieman's chest, and Kate could see the doctor was beginning to get nervous. Nieman was completely distracted now, and as she shouted a response, Kate pressed forcefully against the socket of her thumb until she felt the searing pain of the joint breaking, her teeth biting into her lip to keep from crying out.

The second she was free, she swung her foot into Tyson's head, sending him stumbling forward and to the ground, his gun skidding a few feet away from his unconscious body. Both Kate and Nieman eyed each other before looking to the weapon and almost in slow motion, they dove for it at the same time, heads colliding before either of them could reach it. Kate rolled over onto her back, a groan escaping her lips as her hand came up to rub at her forehead, the entire room spinning sickeningly. She heard a chuckle sound from her left and she watched as Nieman loomed over her, the gun in her hand pointed directly at her. Nieman raised her foot and before Kate could react or move, the woman stomped down on her stomach twice, before sending a final kick to her side.

"That should do it. Now, get up," she hissed, and as Kate's hands dropped from her forehead to clutch at her stomach, her screams weak from her inability to breathe.

"I said, get up!" Nieman raised her foot again, threateningly, and Kate jerked away, rolling on her side, her hands pressing against the ground, intent on pushing herself up, before she felt an item jab into her hip.

_The syringe. _

She discreetly grabbed hold of it, tucking it against the back of her arm as she stood, swaying slightly when she was back on her feet. The doctor didn't look any better than her, blood streaming from the woman's cut up lip, and Kate felt a rush of satisfaction at the sight.

"Come here," Nieman snarled, grabbing for her wrist and Kate used the opportunity to jab the needle into Nieman's arm. The doctor's eyes widened in surprise, and before she could react, or gather to energy to press the trigger on the gun, it fell from Nieman's grasp and clattered to the ground, her body following suit.

Hurriedly, Kate bent over to pick up the free weapon, and just as she was straightening up she felt a crippling pain shoot from her lower stomach and she gasped, her free hand coming to grip at her gut. It felt as if her muscles were cramping and releasing over and over, and Kate doubled over as stumbled towards the door. She needed help, she needed Castle, _right now._

* * *

He heard the commotion before he saw it. There was a shout from the door to his left, and then they were calling out his name, his grief stricken body taking longer to react than normal. He shifted from the spot he'd taken up on the floor, his body still quivering from his breakdown, his lungs burning for oxygen, and his eyes fell upon a group of officers with a light haired woman in their arms. She was very much alive, her whimpers reaching him from across the room. _Beckett. _

At first he thought that perhaps his anguished mind was causing him to hallucinate, or that maybe this was another one of Tyson's tricks, but he stumbled to his feet anyway and lurched towards her.

"What-what happened?" Castle stammered as he reached them, taking his wife and cradling her into his chest. The moment she was in his arms, her cries ceased, and she leaned back to stare at him in wonder, and he knew without a doubt this was his Kate, _alive_ and safe at last.

"Castle," she murmured, her hands reaching up to touch his face, her fingers trailing down his cheeks. For a moment, her eyes were bright, painless, and she stood without trouble, but just as quickly, she crumbled into him, eyes growing dark as her lids fell shut.

* * *

She awoke gradually, her senses coming back in fragments. First it was smell, and she knew he was nearby, his aftershave so familiar and comforting. Then she began to hear a rhythmic beeping and by the time she opened her eyes, she could feel a warm hand covering her good one, the other wrapped in plaster, and there was a dull ache along her waist, overshadowing the throbbing pain she felt coming from her forehead.

Finally, her memory returned, and she gasped, her body jerking as the events of the past few days came back to her. Castle appeared above her, his hands lightly squeezing hers.

"It's okay, you're safe," he promised, his eyes bright and reassuring and she felt herself relax almost instantaneously.

"Castle?" She found herself whispering his name and he nodded in response, a beautiful smile gracing his handsome features. "It's me, I'm here."

She pulled her hands from under his to move them down to her stomach, and she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look her husband in the eye as she spoke.

"Is our baby alive?"

"Kate, open your eyes."

She hesitated, the darkness providing her with a isolation full of hope and was reluctant to leave it, to see the despair, the disappointment in Castle's eyes but when he prompted her again, she blinked slowly, and then lifted her gaze to his. He looked as blissfully happy as he did moments before.

"Our baby is fine," he laughed tearfully, his voice choking up as he exhaled shakily. "You're going to have some nasty bruises, but Nieman-," he stumbled over her name, his eyes narrowing slightly, "she didn't cause any harm to the baby."

"Really?" Kate breathed, her eyes dropping to her stomach as her hands started to rub small circles over her skin and after a second his hands joined hers.

"Did you guys- did you find Nieman and Tyson?" She asked quietly, swallowing heavily at the thought of them escaping, of being in danger once again.

"They're in holding at the 12th," Castle assured. "They're going away for a very long time. It's all over."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and echoed his last three words, speaking them out loud to help her in realizing the truth. They were safe, it was over, and in that moment, everything fell into place. They stayed how they were, his hands on her stomach and hers over his, for a few minutes before Castle spoke again.

"You're twelve weeks along," he murmured, "and we can find out about the sex soon." Then, as if he remembered something, he jerked away from her and his hands reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

"They're going to print out a better copy, but for now…" his voice trailed off as he handed her the very first picture of their child. "I mean it's not much. It's still early for anything to be clear but-"

"It's perfect," Kate whispered, tears welling up and falling steadily down her cheeks, her fingers brushing lightly over the black and white image. "Castle," she glanced up at him, the back of her hand brushing away some of the water as it fell from her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you, that you had to find out this way."

Castle ducked his head, and he smiled abashedly at her.

"I actually found the stick, inside your bedside table."

Kate's hands stilled, and she was silent for a moment. "You knew, the entire time I was gone?" At his hesitant nod, she reached her good hand up to stroke his face, her lips twisting into a frown, her eyes forlorn. "I'm so sorry, Castle."

Castle's hands moved to grasp at hers, which was now tracing patterns over his cheek, and he brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly.

"Hey, hey, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you are both here," he moved their hands back to her stomach, "and everything is going to be okay."

She wavered, torn between wanting to comfort Castle, and wanting to move on, put it all in the past and look ahead to the future. Glancing down at the sonogram, she made her decision. She looked back up at him, her eyes shining and hopeful.

"We're going to be a family."

He shifted himself closer, leaning over as his pressed his lips to hers, his tears mingling with her own.

"Yeah, we are."


End file.
